I thought I would share some of my camping experiences with our members and readers. Perhaps to remind myself of my camping days as a child, or just to give you a little more insight into the “world of camping” in South Africa.

I’ve been camping and caravanning for the better part of my life, and love every minute of it. I started caravanning with my parents when I was 9, and have been doing it ever since. However, when you’re that young and your parents tell you that you’re going to start camping (as it is generally referred to in South Africa, whether in a tent or a caravan) as a family, you have no idea what that will entail…

You’re on your way to your first campsite, and have no idea what to expect. When you eventually get there after about a 2-hour drive, a sight you have never seen before meets you, and you are amazed. White caravans are parked everywhere, all with a pitched canopy and various different “gadgets” on display out the front.

 

The weekend flies by before you know it, and you enjoyed every minute of it… making new friends and meeting more strangers in that one weekend than you probably have your entire life. It only takes one weekend, and before you know it you’re hooked. Camping becomes an addiction, and second nature to you.

In a nutshell, that’s what my first camping experience was like, and one I am not likely to forget anytime soon. 

Camping in South Africa is quite a bit different than it is in the United Kingdom for example. In the U.K., no matter where you go, there is always a fish and chip shop near by or a pub where you can go to get some dinner or a pint. Not in South Africa… Because the country is so big and vast, everything is miles away from where you camp. You can’t just get in your car and go for a quick bite to eat around the corner, or have a quick pint of something to drink. Which in my opinion is half the fun of it and makes camping so much more than just a “sleepover weekend”.

You have to pretty much fend for yourself with regard to food and drink for the entire time you’re camping… whether for a week or just a weekend. You have to take all your food along with you for the time you will be camping as well as any juices, fizzy drinks, and sometimes even drinking water, you may want, as not everywhere you go in South Africa has drinkable water.

We prepare all our own food at the caravan/ tent on gas cookers and sometimes BBQ’s (with wood or charcoal – not gas). When we go camping, my father always makes this amazing “stew”, as the British would call it, in a black cauldron on a gas cylinder (as can be seen on one of the pictures). This was a traditional cooking method used by our forefathers, the “Boers”. On the side of their “Ox wagon” they would have a small contained fire in some form of container, and over this fire hung the cauldron. As they were always on the move, they would put together a “stew” in this cauldron early in the morning, and by the time they reached their destination that evening, their dinner would be cooked and ready to eat.

This tradition has been carried on and passed on through the years, and is to this day a very popular cooking method in South Africa, especially when one goes camping. The same principle applies… you start your “stew” early in the morning, and leave it to cook and marinate for the rest of the day. By the time night falls, your dinner is ready and you can relax with a glass of wine by the fire.

As can be seen on some of the pictures, not all of the campsites have grass or anything close to resembling grass. The most you may find on some sites is red dust or ground. But again, my experiences of camping would have not been the same if it were all luxury and neat cut “lawns”. I think it’s sometimes a good thing to be “brought back” closer to nature.

Most of the campsites in South Africa have toilet and bathroom facilities on site (or a shower block as it is called here). Some may be a little more luxurious than others, as it all depends on the “star rating” of the particular campsite. Overall, I have to admit, that they are pretty basic, but at least have the necessary amenities you will need for your personal hygiene.

Quite a few of the campsites would be located inside a wild nature reserve, which is quite an experience. The campsite would be completely surrounded by an electric fence to keep the wild animals out.

There was never reason to be concerned, as the fence was monitored on a daily basis by the campsite’s game warden, to look for any damage or to determine if it had been breached in the night by any of the animals. To be fair, the fence will obviously not keep out things like snakes, which my father was most unfortunate to encounter in a campsite’s “shower block” before now. 

It may sound frightening to some, but imagine if you will, a quiet summer’s evening, you’re sitting by the fire and all you can hear are the cries of the Hyenas, or the sounds of the Zebra’s as they settle close by for the night. That is something you have to experience for yourself, as no amount of words can capture that magic.

As I understand it, camping in the U.K. is largely a “one man” thing, where it would be only you and your family going camping and not a big group… unless it is some arranged event or gathering for some rally, show or exhibition for example.

In South Africa, the majority of the “camping nation” belongs to “SACA”, which stands for “South African Caravan Association”. Within that association are smaller groups that form your provincial (or county if you will) groups, each with it’s own group president.

Once every month (whether it’s Summer or Winter) there would be an arranged camp at a particular site in South Africa, for each provincial (county) group. You did not have to attend if you did not wish to, but we pretty much went all the time. Sometimes (again, as can be seen in the pictures) a group of friends would arrange to meet up somewhere and drive to the campsite together in convoy.

At some of these gatherings there would be at least 180 caravans attending in one weekend, which I’m sure would be quite an impressive façade to someone who has been a “solo” camper for most of his/ her life.

I can go on for pages and pages about all my camping experiences… to most people it would most probably be a dull read, but to those who have camping in their blood like I do, it’s something you can never truly explain on paper, but an amazing adventure in life you would have to experience for yourself.

Best Regards & Happy Camping

Adèle Lenk

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